Featured News

Each day, dentists educate patients who use tobacco products about the benefits of cessation. In recent media, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has promoted its tobacco education campaign, Tips from Former Smokers, to raise awareness about the suffering caused by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.

Today’s dental school graduates are facing an ever-increasing debt burden. In 2011, the average educational debt per graduating dental school senior was nearly $200,000. On July 1, the fixed interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans for undergraduates doubled from 3.4% to 6.8%.

The state of Colorado currently has almost $1M of grant funding available for organizations and providers who provide dental care to seniors eligible for Old Age Pension (OAP) assistance. The deadline to apply for the grant funding is Friday, Aug. 16, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.

Starting next year, the laws that govern the practice of dentistry, known as the Colorado Dental Practice Law, will undergo a complete review by the state legislature. This process is known as a sunset review. The Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), the state agency responsible for organizing the Dental Practice Law sunset review, is currently accepting input from the dental profession to help guide its recommendations to the state legislature.

Dr. Calvin D. Utke is the new president of the Colorado Dental Association. He is a general dentist and has a private practice in Colorado Springs, Colo. He has practiced dentistry in Colorado for 29 years. He received his D.D.S. from Creighton University in 1984.

The CODPAC Board of Directors will hold its 2013 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Board room at the CDA Headquarters. Any interested CODPAC contributor is welcome to attend.

The CODPAC Board of Directors will hold its 2014 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, August 5 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the small Board room at the CDA Headquarters. Any interested CODPAC contributor is welcome to attend.

Great News: Senate Bill 13-242, a bill giving access to basic dental care to adults in underserved populations, passed the state legislature this week. It is scheduled to be signed into law on Saturday, May 11. SB 242 is estimated to provide 300,000 additional Coloradans with access to basic preventative and restorative dental care. This new dental benefit for adults, covered by Medicaid, will take effect in April 2014. Medicaid reimbursement rates for dentists who accept Medicaid will also be increased 4.5%. Thank you to the many dentists who took time to write their state legislators in support of this bill!

Great News: Senate Bill 13-242, a bill to give access to basic dental care to adults in underserved populations, passed the state legislature this week! It is scheduled to be signed into law on Saturday, May 11. SB 242 is estimated to provide 300,000 additional Coloradans access to basic preventative and restorative dental care. This new dental benefit for adults covered by Medicaid will take effect in April 2014. Medicaid reimbursement rates for dentists who accept Medicaid will also be increased 4.5%. Thank you to the many dentists who took time to write their state legislators in support of this bill!

The CDA’s governing body convenes each year at the Annual Session. The House of Delegates votes on resolutions that impact the CDA and its membership. To read this year’s resolutions and to view the proposed budget for 2013/2014, click here. Among the resolutions is one brought forth by the CDA Council on Finance to increase member dues by $15 – click here to read 13-13-B.